Press Release

ECSO and 5G IA sign Memorandum of Understanding

4 December 2018,
Vienna, Austria

During the ICT 2018 conference, Dr Luigi Rebuffi, Secretary General of the European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) and Dr Colin Willcock, Chairman of the Board of the 5G Infrastructure Association (5G IA) co-signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The aim is to enhance future cooperation in the field of cyber security and 5G communication networks.The Memorandum of Understanding formalises the mutual interaction and cooperation in exchanging information and experience in the field of cyber security and 5G, to identify and address the needs of vertical sectors and research priorities for the development of secure technologies and reliable 5G platforms, as well as to prevent fragmentation in terms of technology deployment across borders and sector.

ECSO and 5G IA have a shared objective of establishing a common and coordinated strategy for a secure and trustworthy 5G communication network, as its application will have an impact on many sectors, including e-health, industry 4.0, intelligent transport, entertainment & media, just to mention a few. The strengthened cooperation between ECSO and 5G IA will further support the European Commission in its proposal to have strong European leadership in 5G communications and cyber security.

As the contractual partners to the European Commission in implementing Public-Private Partnerships on cyber security and 5G, ECSO and 5G IA aim to foster cooperation between European stakeholders from public and private sectors and sustain the implementation and development of the Digital Single Market. ECSO Working Groups deal with different European cyber security industrial policy issues, including standards, sectoral demand, as well as research and innovation (R&I), which are all important to the implementation of a 5G Action plan, allowing citizens and businesses to access a reliable, dependable and trustworthy European 5G communication network.

The mission of 5G IA is to create the next generation of communication networks and services – providing ubiquitous connectivity, enabling the European industry to successfully compete on global markets, facilitating the creation of new societally beneficial services and opening new innovation opportunities. 5G IA has also established a Security Working Group to foster the development of the 5G Security Community.

Colin Willcock, Chairman of the 5G IA Board said “As 5G technology encompasses more and more aspects of our life to create the digital society of the future, the security of such networks will become a vital requirement. Robust and secure 5G networks will be key to the future competitiveness of European Industry, as such cooperation between ECSO and 5G IA is an important step to achieving this goal”.

Luigi Rebuffi, Secretary General of ECSO, added that “5G is key for the future development of the vertical sectors and, as such, ensuring the end-to-end security of 5G services and solutions is an extremely important task. It is only with trustworthy and dependable communication network infrastructures that the growth and competitiveness of the European industry can be ensured. A close cooperation with the 5G IA will help to advance our efforts to foster the secure-by-design principle in the development and implementation of 5G services.”

The European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO) established in June 2016, is the official counterparty to the European Commission in implementing the contractual Public-Private Partnership (cPPP) on cyber security. ECSO unites a great variety of European cyber security stakeholders, including large companies, SMEs and start-ups, research centres, universities, end-users, operators, clusters and associations, as well as the local, regional and national administrations across the European Union (EU) Member States, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and H2020 Programme associated countries. The main goal is to develop European cyber security ecosystem, support the protection of European Digital Single Market and, ultimately, to contribute to the advancement of European digital autonomy. More about ECSO and its activities at https://www.ecs-org.eu - Twitter: @ecso_eu.

The 5G Public Private Partnership (5G PPP) is the 5G collaborative research program that is organized as part of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 program – The European Union Program for Research and Innovation. It is aimed at fostering industry-driven research, monitored by business-related, technological performance and societal KPIs. The 5G PPP will deliver solutions, architectures, technologies and standards for ubiquitous next-generation communication infrastructure over the coming decade.

In the 5G PPP, the 5G Infrastructure Association (5G IA) represents the private side and the European Commission the public side. The 5G IA is committed to the advancement of 5G in Europe and to building global consensus on 5G. To this aim, the Association brings together a global industry community of telecoms & digital actors, such as operators, manufacturers, research institutes, universities, verticals and SMEs. The 5G IA carries out a wide range of activities in strategic areas including standardization, frequency spectrum, R&D projects, technology skills, collaboration with key vertical industry sectors, notably for the development of trials, and international cooperation. Learn more about 5G Infrastructure Association at https://5g-ppp.eu/- Twitter: @5GPPP